The council's fleet of gritting lorries are now on standby across the city to treat almost half of the network including all major A and B roads, along with all council car parks in what could be a 24/7 operation.

Now they are urging motorists to also take action to reduce their risk of a collision on the roads. A video has been launched to help motorists prepare alongside a social media campaign which will be launched when temperatures start to dip.

Andy Tatt, head of Peterborough Highway Services, a partnership between Peterborough City Council and Skanska, said: “We are well prepared for the winter months, but it's still important that motorists prepare their vehicles for winter and drive according to the weather conditions, allowing for extra time, even if roads have been gritted.”

As well as lowering speeds and taking more care there are simple things that motorists in the city can do to prepare their vehicles for the winter weather.

Clair George from the city council's prevention and enforcement service gave the following tips for motorists:

Check your oil

Make sure windscreen wipers are in good working order

Keep water levels topped up

Make sure lights are clean and all bulbs, including your fog lights work

Check your tyres pressure

Ensure tyres have the legal amount of tread, it can take twice as long to stop when roads are wet and up to 10 times longer in icy conditions

Ensure you have sufficient fuel for your journey if conditions worsen

Councillor Peter Hiller, cabinet member for growth, planning, housing and economic development, said: “A great deal of hard work goes on all year round to make sure that our roads are safe when we are faced with adverse weather conditions.

“All the preparation carried out by Peterborough Highways Services means that when wintry hazards do arrive we can react quickly and ensure vehicle drivers and residents can use our roads safely and avoid delays.”

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video